Is the 1990s considered "period" yet?
And it's not just the Gale Harbour books people are buying - last month I sold three copies of Hell Comes to Hogtown and a copy of Ten Thousand Days, all IN PAPERBACK. That's simply unheard of. Not to mention I got about ten times more KDP reads than usual.
Now, I'm not rolling in money or anything, but even a small overall increase in success is a win in my book. I've said this many times, but I don't really expect writing to become a full-time career. That said, I would be lying if I claimed I don't get a little excited at people reading - and enjoying - my stories.
Another interesting anecdote this month was that I also made my first foray into IngramSpark, to make my paperback books more widely accessible. There was a very specific reason for this: Unless you've been hiding under a rock, you're probably aware that tensions between Canada and the USA have been somewhat strained lately. There's been a big push for Canadians to boycott US products whenever possible, and buy from Canadian companies. Many people are avoiding Amazon in particular, which I totally understand and respect. So, in the interest of making my book more accessible, I uploaded it to IngramSpark so that it could be ordered from Canadian book companies, like Indigo/Chapters, instead of buying it from Amazon.
Happy Pride!
Sounds simple, right? Here's a list of reasons it doesn't work, and why our tightly-connected global economy can't be so easily bypassed:
- Because Ingram has higher printing costs, and takes a bigger cut, the books overall are more expensive. Price of Gale Harbour 3 on Amazon Canada right now: $22.12. Price on Indigo.ca: $25.99.
- Amazon's books are actually printed in Canada, so the printing costs are going to a Canadian print shop and Canadian workers, then shipped directly to the customer. Ingram's books are printed in the US, shipped to Indigo's warehouse, and then shipped to the purchaser.
- Indigo takes a cut of the sale as well as Ingram, so by the time the profit gets to me there's not much left. Royalty on Gale Harbour 3 sold from Amazon: $5.15 USD. Royalty from Indigo: $1.14. (And remember, that's with a much higher retail price, too.)
- Because Ingram works as a traditional distributor, they print and send the books to the retailers in advance. If those books are not sold within so many months, then that means I HAVE TO PAY FOR THEM. And I don't want to pay astronomical sums for them to be shipped back to me, so after I pay for them, they THROW THEM IN THE GARBAGE.
So in conclusion, if a Canadian customer buys my book from Indigo--a Canadian company--instead of Amazon, they have to pay more, more of that money goes to the USA, it takes them way longer to receive the book, and finally the Canadian author receives a much smaller royalty, with a risk of losing money if the sale doesn't happen. The only party who wins in this situation is Indigo, which, while Canadian, is still a big corporation. At the end of the day, would your rather support a Canadian corporation, or a small-time Canadian author and a printer in Milton, Ontario?
(An American company gets a cut either way, either Amazon or Ingram).
Anyway, this was supposed to be a celebration about the successful launch of my new book, but it kind of went off the rails. If you HAVEN'T checked out Gale Harbour 3: Dirtbag Satan Worshippers From Down by the Bay, please do so! And feel free to order it from whichever retailer you prefer!
Hugs & Kisses,
-CDGK
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Newfoundland, Canada. 1994.
Niall O’Neil is wallowing in teenage angst, still getting over Harper Jeddore, his childhood crush who helped him save the sleepy town of Gale Harbour from otherworldly monsters. Twice. When he meets a new, less-complicated girl named Stacey, it seems his life might be turning a corner. But Niall is pulled back into his old world when people start disappearing around town again, seemingly abducted by Satan-worshipping rednecks.
Torn between his new existence of simple happiness and his messy feelings for his old flame, Niall must make a decision: Enjoy dating girls, experimenting with drinking and making new friends, or risk his life to save the town one more time?
The fate of the entire world may depend on the choices of a hormonal fourteen-year-old with a flair for the dramatic.
Join Niall, Harper, Pius, Keith and Skidmark as they band together for one last adventure…
BUY DIRTBAG SATAN WORSHIPPERS FROM DOWN BY THE BAY HERE:
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Grats on the release! And so sorry the Canadian publishing options suck. I would definitely choose the one that supports you more.
ReplyDeleteIt's awesome that your book launch is going well. And I'm sorry that the tensions with the U.S. are making your options more difficult.
ReplyDeleteGlad sales are up! That is so ironic about the printing and sales. If people really did their research, they wouldn't buy anything.
ReplyDeleteGreat news about the sales! And I think a lot of us in both sides of the border are finding it hard to avoid giving money to the giant corporations we hate.
ReplyDeleteCongrats on your sales.
ReplyDeleteLooking forward to reading your latest and have downloaded it. Congratulations on finishing another book; this is not exactly the easiest process to publication, but you have persevered!
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